Emiliano Martinez has been recalled by Argentina for this month's World Cup qualifiers versus Paraguay and Peru after serving a two-match suspension.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper sat out a 1-1 draw with Venezuela and a 6-0 rout of Bolivia in October after being banned for "offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play" by CONMEBOL.

Martinez had made a lewd gesture with the Copa America trophy ahead of a match against Chile in September, then hit a local television camera after a loss to Colombia.

Valencia midfielder Enzo Barrenechea has been handed his maiden call-up by Lionel Scaloni, while Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho and Leicester City's Facundo Buonanotte have also been recalled.

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi will lead the world champions – who are top of the CONMEBOL qualification group with 22 points – in Paraguay on November 14, before they host Peru five days later.

Argentina squad: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Walter Benitez (PSV), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), German Pezzella (River Plate), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Nehuen Perez (Porto), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Enzo Barrenechea (Valencia), Thiago Almada (Botafogo), Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester City), Nicolas Paz (Como), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Nicolas Gonzalez (Juventus), Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Valentin Castellanos (Lazio).

Brazil have won back-to-back competitive matches for the first time in over a year, having followed their 2-1 win in Chile last week with a 4-1 victory over Peru on Tuesday.

The hosts did have an initial scare though, with Edison Flores breaking clear to slot the ball past Ederson after 12 minutes, though the flag was immediately raised for offside.

Raphinha then hammered against the crossbar in the 24th minute, before putting his team a goal ahead from the penalty spot in the 38th minute - six minutes after the kick was initially awarded for handball against Carlos Zambrano, following a lengthy VAR review.

The Barcelona man then killed the game as a contest by scoring a second penalty nine minutes into the second half, also conceded by Zambrano.

Brazil continued to dominate before a spectacular 71st-minute volley from Andreas Pereira made their lead more comfortable. Luiz Henrique then added another three minutes later with a neat curling effort from the edge of the box.

Data Debrief: Brazil on the way back

Brazil have won back-to-back competitive matches for the first time since September 2023.

While they trail CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying leaders Argentina by six points, they have opened five-point gap to eighth-placed Venezuela in the first elimination spot.

But with another eight matches to come, including fixtures against Venezuela and Uruguay in November's international break, they will need to maintain their improved form.

Dorival Junior expects to see Brazil qualify for the 2026 World Cup following their 2-1 victory over Chile, despite inconsistent form so far.

The Selecao had lost four of their previous five qualifiers before winning this one, which had left them in fifth in the CONMEBOL table but perilously close to dropping out of the top eight.

The three points they earned in Chile saw them move up fourth, but there is still just a three-point gap between themselves and eighth-placed Paraguay, who beat Brazil 1-0 in the previous international break.

Given their recent form, a win in Chile was a welcome relief for Dorival despite a lacklustre performance.

"We are moving step-by-step, with a lot to fix, but little by little finding the way," Dorival said after the game.

"I'm happy to see the team's maturity, even though they're very young. We had balance and tranquility."

Should Brazil fail to qualify for the World Cup, it be the first time in history that they would have been absent from the competition.

Given that it would come after it has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams, giving CONMEBOL a further two qualification spots, would only add to the embarrassment.

But Dorival wanted to make it clear that he has faced selection issues over the course of this campaign.

Of the starters in Chile, only four players - Danilo, Marquinhos, Lucas Paqueta and Raphinha - started in the 2022 World Cup, while Alisson, Eder Militao and Vinicius Junior were all injured.

"A [team] renewal is not simple," Dorival said. 

"We don't have the structure that was set up for the previous World Cup and this ends up making the games even more difficult due to the balance between the youth of these boys and the experience of others that are there.

"We only had four players that finished the last match of the World Cup and that has considerable weight."

Despite the difficulties that both he and the team have faced, Dorival is of the belief that they will make it to the United States, Canada and Mexico in two years.

"We will arrive with a strong team in two years, but we will face some difficulties," he said.

Brazil defender Marquinhos came down on his coach's side when asked to give his thoughts after the match.

"Seeking changes is beside the point," he said. "I'm happy with Dorival, with the work he's been doing."

Dorival has been in the job for less than a year, having only been appointed as Brazil's head coach in January, though the Selecao also failed to impress at this year's Copa America.

The need for patience was something that Marquinhos was quick to point out.

"It's not easy, you have to give him time to understand the group he has in hand and use the pieces," he added.

"We showed that we have quality, many good players. We know the coach's ability, what a great professional and person he is.

"We are fully focused on seeking to improve and grow as a group and team."

Lionel Messi was left annoyed at the state of the pitch at the Estadio Monumental de Maturin as Argentina drew 1-1 in Venezuela on Thursday.

Heavy rain in Maturin had initially caused kick-off to be delayed by half an hour, although when the players eventually took to the field it was clear that the ball was holding up in water and bounced very little.

Argentina, who had eight shots to Venezuela's 16, went ahead in the first half through Nicolas Otamendi before Salomon Rondon equalised in the 65th minute.

And Messi did not hold back in expressing his anger at the playing conditions.

"It was very difficult, it makes for very ugly matches," said Messi.

"We could not complete two passes in a row. In the second half we did it on the right a little more, but it is difficult to play like that. Very little is played."

Team-mate Rodrigo De Paul was in agreement with his captain and was another player to vent their frustration after the match.

"In this case, we couldn't play football," he said.

With the ball barely rolling on the pitch, both teams had to resort to changing their tactics to deal with the conditions. That is something Messi believes Argentina did well, but ultimately cost them the game.

"We tied because the field didn't help us do what we wanted, we had to do another game than the one prepared for," he said

"But we were prepared because we fought, won the battles, played with the error of the rival. We couldn't risk much by playing with passes to the back. 

"In the first half we made a couple passes to the back and the water would stop it, and complicated it. We [played] the game we could with the water."

The draw maintains Argentina's position at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying group with 19 points after nine matches. Following Colombia's defeat in Bolivia, their lead was extended by a point.

But Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was another who took the side of his captain, explaining that he thought the game should not have gone ahead.

"It did not meet the minimal conditions for a football game," he said.  "You couldn't play.

"We did what we had to do, but the conditions of the playing field were not for a match against two teams of this kind of level."

Brazil fought back from a goal down to score an 89th-minute winner that completed a 2-1 comeback win over Chile.

The hosts went ahead in the second minute of Thursday's World Cup qualifier in Santiago when a looping header from Eduardo Vargas went past Ederson in goal, although it was an effort that should arguably have been saved.

While Chile had chances to extend their lead and had claims for a penalty in the first half, Brazil equalised in stoppage time through a close-range header from Igor Jesus.

The Selecao controlled much of the second half as they went in search of a winner, and they were able to find it a minute from time. Botafogo winger Luiz Henrique cut in from the right and bent a shot past the goalkeeper to earn his country three points.

It is a victory that moves Brazil up a place to fourth in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table, while Chile remain second-bottom, seven points behind an automatic qualification spot.

That they were able to get the result without some key players - Alisson, Eder Militao and Vinicius Junior are all injured - will have pleased coach Dorival Junior, for whom the result will ease some of the pressure.

Data debrief: Plenty to improve for Brazil

Prior to their victory in Chile, Brazil had been on a run of four defeats in five matches in World Cup qualifying.

This result leaves them three points ahead of eighth-placed Paraguay, who occupy the final elimination slot and beat Brazil 1-0 in the previous matchday.

Although Brazil found a way to win, this was the sixth qualifier in eight that they registered three shots on target or fewer.

Given that they have also conceded the second-most goals (nine) within the top eight, there is clearly still work to do from Dorival to get them performing at a higher level.

Argentina dropped points in a second successive CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier, as Venezuela held them to a 1-1 draw in Maturin.

The spoils were shared at Estadio Monumental de Maturin, where Salomon Rondon's second-half header cancelled out Nicolas Otamendi's earlier effort.

After heavy rain delayed kick-off, Argentina took the lead in the 13th minute.

Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo failed to properly clear the returning Lionel Messi's free-kick, and Otamendi reacted quickest to poke home from 12 yards out.

The hosts went close to levelling either side of the break. German Pezzella cleared off the line from Rondon, while Geronimo Rulli - deputising for the suspended Emiliano Martinez - kept out Yangel Herrera's powerful header.

However, Venezuela did grab their equaliser in the 65th minute - and subsequently a point - when Rondon rose at the near post to power home from Yeferson Soteldo's cross.

Messi returned to the international scene for the first time since limping off in tears during the Copa America final.

But the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner could not help Argentina get back to winning ways, while he conceded possession the joint-most times (19) by any visiting player.

The conditions certainly affected the flow of the game, and was more to the suiting of Venezuela. Although they had just 40.1% of possession, the hosts outshot their opponents 16-8.

However, they have now failed to win their last five CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers; their longest streak since going six without victory between June and October 2021.

Brazil head coach Dorival Junior called for Neymar to be given as much time as he needs to make a full recovery from a knee injury before returning to the national side. 

Neymar ruptured his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while on international duty last October in a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay, missing the Copa America as a result.

The 32-year-old underwent surgery and returned to training with Al-Hilal in July, but he is yet to make his comeback, with head coach Jorge Jesus saying this week the Brazilian was not ready. 

Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances and is 15 caps shy of breaking Cafu's record for the most outings for the Selecao. 

But the forward is again missing from the Brazil squad for their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru next month, with Dorival saying he will wait until the right moment to welcome Neymar back into the fold. 

"We'll wait, we'll be patient, it doesn't matter if he can't come back in October, November or even February," Dorival said. 

"He needs to be confident, he needs to play and above all he needs to be completely healed from this injury.

"We are starting to realise how important he is.

"If he returns in the coming years, we will have one of the greatest players in world football at a remarkable moment in his career and in our national team."

Dorival recalled Barcelona winger Raphinha and Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli for their upcoming fixtures next month. 

Real Madrid trio Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Endrick were the other attacking options included for the five-time world champions.

Brazil have 10 points from eight qualifiers after losing four of their last five matches, leaving them fifth and just one point above Paraguay, who occupy the play-off spot.

Diego Gomez's first-half strike stunned Brazil as Paraguay earned their first triumph over the Selecao since 2008 with a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory in Asuncion.

Dorival Junior's side, who disappointed at the Copa America, slumped to a fourth defeat from their last five qualifiers and sit fifth in the 10-team CONMEBOL qualification group.

Inter Miami's Gomez struck the decisive blow in the 20th minute, sending a stunning effort with the outside of his foot beyond Alisson Becker and in off the post.

Brazil almost found an immediate response four minutes later, only for full-back Guilherme Arana to see his effort cleared off the line in the visitors' only shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.

Following the interval, Rodrygo threatened to level the scores but could only fire over from close range, with Roberto Fernandez turning Vinicius Junior's strike around the post as the game ticked into the final knockings.

But Paraguay were able to hold firm to secure a memorable victory, leaving them seventh in the standings and just a point behind Brazil in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Data Debrief: Selecao stutter against stingy defence

Brazil rarely troubled Fernandez in the Paraguay goal, managing just three shots on target from the nine they attempted, registering an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.57.

Ballon d'Or hopeful Vinicius was credited with two of the Selecao's efforts, but struggled to make the desired impact, completing just one of his four attempted dribbles. 

Paraguay, however, remained resolute in their defending, and have now kept a clean sheet in five of their last eight World Cup qualifiers, with only Argentina (six) managing more shutouts.

Colombia gained a measure of revenge for their Copa America final loss to Argentina by beating the Albiceleste 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Barranquilla.

Nestor Lorenzo's side approached Tuesday's clash at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez five points adrift of their opponents in the 10-man CONMEBOL qualification group, but a deserved win saw them close that gap to two points.

Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera, who was later carried off injured on a stretcher, headed in the opener after 25 minutes, nodding into an unguarded net after James Rodriguez sent a delicate cross over to the far post.

Argentina struggled to carve out clear-cut chances in the first half but levelled just three minutes into the second period, with James' slack pass being cut out by Nicolas Gonzalez, who darted into the area before sliding his finish home.

James was given a chance to redeem himself just 12 minutes later, however, as a VAR review led to Colombia being awarded a penalty for Nicolas Otamendi's trip on Daniel Munoz.

James – the Player of the Tournament at this year's Copa – made no mistake from 12 yards, sending Emiliano Martinez the wrong way for what proved to be the winner.

Colombia almost added a third goal at the death, only for Otamendi to nod Munoz's goal-bound flick off the line, but time still ran out on Argentina.

Data Debrief: Messi-less visitors come unstuck

Argentina made light of Lionel Messi's injury-enforced absence as they thrashed Chile 3-0 last time out, but they struggled to create chances without their talisman on Tuesday.

They ended the game having only hit the target with one of their 13 shots, with a total expected goals (xG) figure of 0.9, in contrast to Colombia's 2.99.

Prior to Tuesday's match, Argentina had only fallen behind on the road in a South American qualification game once under Lionel Scaloni, when fighting back to beat Bolivia 2-1 in October 2020. There was to be no comeback this time around. 

Dorival Junior believes the pressure of being Brazil's main man can sometimes weigh Vinicius Junior down, just as it did Neymar in years gone by.

Brazil beat Ecuador 1-0 to end a three-match losing run in the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Friday, though their performance was far from convincing.

Rodrygo's deflected first-half strike handed Brazil a crucial three points, yet they were indebted to goalkeeper Alisson for making a huge one-on-one save to deny Moises Caicedo on the stroke of half-time.

Having endured a torrid time at the Copa America earlier this year, Vinicius was quiet again on Friday, failing to complete any of his four dribbles and losing possession 14 times – more than any other Selecao player.

Brazil's recent performances have come in for stern criticism at home, but Dorival believes everyone connected with the national team needs to have more patience.

"We want to see players in the condition where he produces at all times, in the same way he does at his club," Dorival said of Vinicius. 

"We always have cycles within the clubs themselves, we have moments when Rodrygo will be featured over a few months, soon Vini will enter this same condition. 

"We have to be very calm. This same expectation was generated around Neymar, that at all times Neymar had to be the solution to our problems."

Neymar himself has not played for either Al-Hilal or Brazil since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during the Selecao's 2-0 defeat to Uruguay last October.

Dorival cited his recovery as yet another area where Brazil's supporters must have more understanding. 

"If we have a little patience and receive Neymar at the moment the team is more balanced, I have no doubt he can make a very big difference with the ability he has, with those who are here," he added.

"We have to learn that these processes are lengthy and require time and patience, which we do not have in our country.

"I say again to the Brazilian fans: have a little calm, let's first regain the confidence of the Brazilian team. We have players of the highest level, who play in the biggest clubs in Europe, as well as in Brazilian football. 

"I have no doubt that we will have an aggressive team like the fans want, playing in a regular way and transmitting even greater confidence."

Brazil go to Paraguay for their next World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, having gone fourth in the 10-team group with Friday's slender victory.

Luis Suarez gave an emotional farewell message to Uruguay's fans after the final game of his international career ended in a goalless draw with Paraguay in Montevideo.

Suarez announced earlier this month that Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier would be his final outing for La Celeste, who he helped win the 2011 Copa America and reach the 2010 World Cup semi-finals.

The former Liverpool and Barcelona man was unable to end his international career with a victory as Marcelo Bielsa's team were kept out by Paraguay. 

Suarez played the full 90 minutes as captain as Uruguay registered just one shot on target in a meek performance, but the result could not put a dampener on post-match tributes to the striker.

Addressing the crowd, Suarez said: "I have only words of gratitude to all Uruguayans, who since my career began supported me, not only me, but a generation that had a very difficult time.

"That group marked me a lot, being a healthy group, where we were all on the same path. People don't know how much we fought for this shirt and how difficult it is to represent a country, it is not easy to assume that responsibility.

"I went through very complicated moments in my career. I want to thank you for the affection and be clear that Uruguay is bigger than any coach or player and that, from tomorrow, I will be just another fan. 

"Up Uruguay and I will always be grateful to the Uruguayan people."

Suarez ended his international career with a national record 69 goals in 143 caps, his final strike for Uruguay being a last-minute equaliser versus Canada in the third-place play-off at this year's Copa America, a contest La Celeste won on penalties.

A deflected first-half strike from Rodrygo handed Brazil a crucial 1-0 victory over Ecuador as they halted a three-match losing run in 2026 World Cup qualifying.

Dorival Junior's team approached Friday's game off the pace in the CONMEBOL qualification group, sitting sixth after defeats to Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina in late 2023.

They produced another disjointed performance in Curitiba and were indebted to Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who struck the winner on the half-hour mark.

Taking Lucas Paqueta's pass on the turn 25 yards from goal, Rodrygo cut onto his right foot before seeing his effort strike William Pacho and nestle in the bottom-left corner.

Rodrygo went close to a second six minutes later but it was far from smooth sailing for the hosts, who needed a huge save from Alisson to preserve their lead on the stroke of half-time.

The Liverpool goalkeeper made himself big to deny Moises Caicedo when one-on-one in what proved to be Ecuador's best chance, as Brazil leapfrogged their opponents to go fourth in the table with 10 points from seven matches.

Data Debrief: Selecao still missing their spark

Brazil were flat and unimpressive at the Copa America, and there were few signs of the Selecao rediscovering their attacking spark here.

They enjoyed 57.4% of the possession in Friday's game but could only convert that into 10 shots tallying 0.46 expected goals (xG), to Ecuador's 0.85 xG from nine attempts.

Rodrygo and Alisson stepped up in the moments that mattered for Brazil, but performances like these will ensure even reaching the 2026 World Cup is a slog for the five-time winners. 

Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao has left Brazil's training camp ahead of World Cup qualifiers versus Ecuador and Paraguay due to a leg injury.

Brazil have made a dismal start to their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign and sit sixth in the 10-team CONMEBOL group after six games, with two wins, one draw and three defeats.

Dorival Junior's side will have to cope without key defender Militao for the first international break of the season, after the Brazilian FA (CBF) confirmed he had suffered an injury.

"Defender Eder Militao complained of muscle pain in his right thigh after training on Wednesday and after medical exams carried out on Thursday, it was identified a small muscle injury in his right thigh," the CBF said in a statement.

"The player has been ruled out of Brazil's next two qualifying matches and the CBF expresses its solidarity with the player at this time and wishes him a speedy recovery."

Militao, who missed most of last season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, is the latest Madrid player to suffer injury problems at the start of this season.

Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and left-back Ferland Mendy both left France's camp ahead of their Nations League clashes against Italy and Belgium due to injuries sustained in Los Blancos' 2-0 win over Real Betis on Sunday.

Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Jude Bellingham have also suffered from injuries in the last few weeks, while David Alaba is still recovering from an ACL tear suffered last term.

Luis Suarez has announced he will retire from international football after Uruguay's World Cup qualifier versus Paraguay on Friday.

Suarez is Uruguay's all-time leading goalscorer, having netted 69 times in 142 appearances, with only Diego Godin (161) winning more caps for La Celeste.

The striker helped Uruguay reach the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and win their 15th Copa America title in 2011, being named Player of the Tournament as he scored four goals including the opener in the final – a 3-0 victory over Paraguay.

Suarez will face the same opponents in his final international match on Saturday as Marcelo Bielsa's team look to build on a return of 13 points from their first six games in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification process.

"I've been thinking about this and analysing this. I believe this is the right time," a tearful Suarez told reporters on Monday.

"I want to be relaxed when I play my last game with the national team. I'll be just as excited to play as I was in 2007 when I played for my national team for the first time.

"That 19-year old kid is now a veteran player, an older player, however you want to call it, with an incredible history with the national team, that will give his life for the team."

Suarez was memorably sent off for a handball on the goal line to deny Ghana a winning goal as La Celeste won the teams' 2010 World Cup quarter-final on penalties, while he missed the 2015 Copa America after receiving a nine-match ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.

"We did go through difficult moments. There were many," he added. "Personally, it was worse for me after my massive mistake in 2014.

"But there's nothing that I would reproach."

The 37-year-old played a limited role as Uruguay took the bronze medal at this year's Copa, making four substitute appearances with Darwin Nunez predominantly leading the line.

Suarez did, however, net a stoppage-time equaliser to take the third-place play-off versus Canada to penalties, also converting from the spot as Uruguay triumphed 4-3 in the subsequent shoot-out.

He has 16 goals in 20 MLS outings for Inter Miami this year, with only Christian Benteke and Cristian Arango (17 each) ahead of him in the Golden Boot race.

Gustavo Alfaro has resigned as Costa Rica head coach after just nine months in charge.

The Argentine's exit was confirmed on Friday with speculation linking Alfaro as a potential successor to Daniel Garnero as Paraguay boss.

"We thank Mr Gustavo and his team for their dedication during their time leading the Costa Rica team," the Costa Rican Football Federation (FCRF) said in a short statement.

"At FCRF we will continue to build the path towards the 2026 World Cup. We will keep our fans informed and we reiterate our commitment to continue working for the development and success of national football."

The 61-year-old, who took charge of Ecuador at the 2022 World Cup, guided Costa Rice to the Copa America this year as his side were eliminated in the group stage by finishing third.